


Snake in the Grass

by InsaneAndHappyAboutIt



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Beating Metaphors to Death, Dubious Consent, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Rough Sex, Self-Hatred, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-16 13:53:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12344007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsaneAndHappyAboutIt/pseuds/InsaneAndHappyAboutIt
Summary: "It all started innocently enough, as most things usually do, but there was nothing innocent about Thomas so it shouldn’t surprise anyone when matters took on a darker turn. It certainly didn’t surprise the man himself. If anything it positively delighted him."





	Snake in the Grass

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you'll enjoy the read and if you have any thoughts consider the comments section below. This takes place sometime during S1, probably just before the war was announced. Fair bit of warning, the plot kind of got away from me on this one.... (if there is a plot at all) It was supposed to be a sweet sort of redeeming story for Thomas but....well, you'll see. I can just tell you that it's neither sweet, nor redeeming.... ENJOY!! XD

It all started innocently enough, as most things usually do, but there was nothing innocent about Thomas so it shouldn’t surprise anyone when matters took on a darker turn. It certainly didn’t surprise the man himself. If anything it positively delighted him. Few things gave him more pleasure than corrupting something good. Well, a smoke and a fine wine did but those were fleeting joys while this new hobby of his was a lasting masterpiece which was sure to give him wave after wave of satisfaction. 

He inhaled a lungfull of toxic smoke, relishing the slow burn before he released it out in a hazy cloud. It was his fifth one that day and his last one. He made a mental note to buy another pack when next he went to town. The damned things were eating away at his carefully earned savings but they were one of the few things that Thomas decided he couldn’t live without. His was a stressful life! It was only fair that he should allow himself something to take the edge off… 

Stealing wine from the cellars was too risky those days, to hell with that limp Bates, and the other thing was too scandalous should it ever be found out. Sometimes he wondered how the other servants would react if they found he preferred the company of men in his bed. They’d be shocked obviously. Repulsed more likely. They certainly wouldn’t understand and definitely reject his very existence. He would be disgraced beyond recovery. 

Ah, who was he kidding. He enjoyed the secrecy. It was thrilling and exciting and compromising not just for him but for anyone who accepted his advances. He had dirt on some of the most esteemed gentlemen in high society. It always amused him how many of the dignified guests who visited Downton Abbey were all too happy to take advantage of an eager servant. Perhaps they thought he would never speak of it since he had far more to lose than them. Perhaps they were correct… 

Thomas couldn’t deny his tastes were refined. He preferred a rich duke to a boorish nobody, especially when said duke knew what he was doing and they usually did. Sometimes he wondered how many of their own footmen and butlers kept them company on especially cold nights. Yet, his current interest was neither rich, nor refined and certainly a nobody. There he was now, fetching some water for the horses, a stupid grin on his face. Like what he was doing was so fucking rewarding. Like there was no other place he would rather be. What a joke!

Thomas watched William through the smoke, rolling his eyes at the obviously undone buttons on his waistcoat. A farmer boy was always going to be a farmer boy. Working as a footman at the Abbey will probably be the best thing to ever happen to the idiot and he was too stupid to realise how pathetic that was. Not Thomas though. No, he had ambition and he would get what he wanted though any means necessary. William was too good for that sort of thing. He went around grinning and charming and looking at the world like it was one sunny utopia and what really got to Thomas was the naïve fop actually believed it all. He was actually so stupid that he believed the world was one happy place where everyone who worked hard and behaved would get to see the kingdom of heaven. 

He smirked. In a world like that people like him had no place. He was too far gone to see anything past the fires of hell and that’s exactly how he liked it. He was just thankful the actual world they lived in was not that farmer boy’s fairyland. Given a chance and the right motivation Thomas was convinces anyone would stab their own mother in the back. Seeing William always riled him up and he made it his mission to drag that innocence through the darkest of muds. 

The thing was, at first he hadn’t meant to let William get under his skin. He’d never liked the smiling dolt, he’d known that from the first day he’d laid eyes on him, but in the beginning he was just an annoyance that could be ignored. He was the fly to his horse. He couldn’t say when exactly that had changed but one day he realized he was deliberately going out of his way to case William hardship. He’d even offered to take on extra work because he knew he’d run into the other man and therefore he’d get a change to wipe that silly smile off his face. Him doing extra work for such a flimsy reason was the equivalent of raining frogs. It was a sign of impending doom. 

He couldn’t say way, at least not at first, but he craved to make the simpleton miserable. It gave him joy like only a good shag could. He’d even pretended to be interested in that maid girl… What was her name again? Daisy. She was just as frustrating to Thomas in her own simple way and it had been a true show of his commitment not to scoff at every ridiculous thing out of her mouth or to cringe when she looked up at him with those absurdly huge doe eyes. No wonder William fancied her…. They both saw light at the end of the tunnel. It had been great stealing her away from William and then breaking her heart with all the ease of a child ripping the wings off a butterfly. Unfortunately that didn’t last long and they were back to being ‘friends’. He could see the way William stared forlornly after the girl’s skirts and it made him want to kick him. 

He’d poked and prodded the bear until finally, finally William had reacted the way Thomas knew he eventually would. He still remembered the evening when her ladyship lost her child after her fall in the washroom. Everyone had been so fucking somber he couldn’t help scorning them. To him, it had all seemed rather melodramatic and over the top. It wasn’t like the lady of the house herself croaked… And then William had told him to shut up and his attention turned on him. 

For the first time he’d seen something dangerous in the blue eyes and he knew that if he struck while the iron was hot then William would be his. He mentioned his recently deceased mother and poof, he was on his back with William on top of him, striking at his face over and over without showing any sign of stopping. Thomas supposed he got off easy. If the other servants hadn’t pulled them apart he was fairly sure William would have done more than bust his lip and leave a bruise across his cheek… 

That was the moment when William began his slow descent down to earth like the rest of them lowly mortals. Thomas couldn’t help taking credit for sullying the white wings with sooth which was why he couldn’t stop now, not until all the feathers were pitch black. He knew how to do it too. He’d had ample time to think on it and now, now was the time to act. He’d already begun putting his plan into action of course but this final step off the cliff’s edge had to be taken by William.

Thomas drew in the last smoky breath, the cigarette so spent he could feel the embers burning his fingertips. It was a cosmic joke at his expense really…. What else was he supposed to call this insane infatuation he had with the footman. He was big enough to at least admit to himself that some twisted side of him yearned for William. He was curious how those work calloused hands felt on him. He’d had dreams, dreams which left him hot and bothered and spent. Clearly he was a victim himself! To go from fantasizing about the soft, sheltered, extravagantly kept hands of the elite to a farmer… What a laugh. 

They’d gotten closer, in a manner of speaking. They’d shared certain intimacies which would be considered highly unorthodox should they come to light though Thomas was convinced William will hold his tongue. He’d posed as a friend after all, just someone who wanted to make amends after saying such dreadful things before. He’d offered to teach him about kissing so he wouldn’t be a complete fool when he finally confessed to Daisy. At first the footman was weary, naturally, but then he’d sought Thomas out. Once the seed of inadequacy was planted it was only a matter of time and patience and Thomas hadn’t been surprised when one evening there was a tentative knock at his door and William poked his head through the door, fidgeting and moving from one foot to the other like a naughty child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 

‘Can I come in?’ Thomas was lounging on the bed and he raised an eyebrow at the question. 

‘I suppose. Should I be ready for another fight?’ He was still a little blue across the face though the bruise was visible only because he knew where to look. In all honesty he rather liked it. It made him look sort of… dangerous. 

‘No, no! I… Well, the thing is… You mentioned before… I mean!’ 

‘Spit it out man! I don’t have all night. Here, come sit on the bed. It might relax you a little.’ Thomas knew exactly why William was there but any good trapper knew it was a bad idea to pull the rope too soon. He had to make sure the hare was properly snared.

‘Yes, thank you.’ William sat as far on the edge as humanly possible, his gaze firmly planted on the ground. 

‘Now, tell me what is so important that you have to disturb my few hours of peace?’ Thomas sat up but allowed William his distance. 

‘Last time we talked, in the library… You mentioned experience.’

‘As I recall, I made fun of you because you have no experience. I called you a virgin and you got all hot and bothered which let me believe that I was right. Was I? You never did answer properly.’ 

‘You know the answer to that already!’ Thomas’ scoff confirmed this perfectly. ‘Well what about you then? You make it sound like you never go to bed alone!’ Thomas licked his lips, loving how easy it was to rile William up. He looked quite enticing with that blush spreading all down his neck. 

‘Not every night…’ William turned sharply his eyes wide enough to nearly jump out of his skull. 

‘Daisy?...’ He was almost tempted to say yes just to see what William’s reaction would be but it was a lie all too easily debunked. 

‘No. We did kiss however. I’m guessing you don’t have a lot of experience in that field either.’ William glanced away again and Thomas took the opportunity to close some of the distance between them. Their arms were touching though William didn’t seem to notice. 

‘I’ve never kissed a girl before…’ It took everything Thomas had not to laugh but he reined it in like a champ. 

‘Colour me surprised.’ He shifted his upper body ever so slightly so their shoulders were touching. Had William focused he would have realized their proximity was too close for comfort. ‘I meant what I said you know. I can help you and it wouldn’t really count… since I’m not a girl.’ He could almost see the gears inside William’s thick skull turning, ever so slowly until the meaning of the proposal sunk in and he was face to face with the most shocked blue eyes he’d ever seen in his life. William would have probably jumped back when he realised their noses were an inch away but Thomas placed a firm hand on his thigh, distracting William and making his intentions clear. 

‘Wh-What do you mean?!’ Oddly enough William didn’t pull away. He tensed but he stayed put. It gave Thomas hope that his advances wouldn’t be spurred after all. 

‘It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’d have to spell it out for you… Heavens but you are slow. I mean this…’ And he kissed William on the lips. It was a gentle push, one which gave William ample time to object, but he didn’t. In fact, Thomas was happy to note the other man’s tension was slowly ebbing away. Finally he withdrew but only far enough so their lips didn’t touch.

‘What are we doing Thomas? This is wrong. It’s unnatural.’ There was no conviction in the words. They were just things which had to be said. Thomas must have heard the exact same nonsense from a dozen mouths, all of which ended up performing far more ‘unnatural’ acts than kissing. 

‘I’m teaching you how to kiss a girl and there’s nothing wrong with that. Like I said, it’s not lying if it’s not with a girl. Daisy will still be your first and you don’t want to disappoint her, do you? We are friends. As a friend I feel compelled to be there for you, if you’ll let me.’ William’s eyes were glued to his lips and Thomas knew he had him. 

‘Alright then…. Teach me…’ 

And William became Thomas’ star pupil. That night they explored each other’s mouths hesitantly, mostly on William’s part, but in the days to follow things changed. They fought less, though Thomas still made it his mission to intersect paths with William. More and more often Thomas would turn and find William staring at him in a way which was decisively lustful. The idiot was too slow to realize how damning those looks really were but Thomas didn’t put a stop to them. If anything, he encouraged them by bending to pick up a book here or fixing his tie and ‘accidentally’ revealing a little more skin than was necessary. It was a game of cat and mouse and like any good feline he loved playing with his food before he devoured it. 

While all this was happening they’d also kept up with their lessons, stealing a kiss in the alcove of the great hall or behind a closed door. Any hesitancy of before was gone and William even instigated some of the now passionate kisses. Thomas had to admit that if he showed this level of enthusiasm to Daisy then she would be out of her mind not to give herself to him. The though made him far too jealous for his liking. He found it necessary to remind himself why he was doing all this more and more often. It was just a game to tear William’s wings out. That’s all there was to it…

The second stage of his master plan was put into action on a similar evening as before. Thomas was just about to turn in when the tell-tale knock came. He knew it was William and the man didn’t bother asking for permission before he let himself in the room. After all the previous secretive nightly visits the knock was merely a courtesy. He could tell after the first glance that William was in rougher shape than usual, probably because he was yelled at by Carson for being late on his duties, admittedly because Thomas kept him busy. 

‘Come here. I’ll make you feel better.’ At Thomas’ beckoning William didn’t hesitate. He didn’t however expect to be manhandled on his back on the bed and he looked curiously at the other man who only smiled knowingly.  
The clothes were in the way and they were quickly dealt with, though Thomas only removed their shirts. He kissed along William’s jaw and throat, licking at especially sensitive patches of skin, all the time ready to be violently shoved off for getting too brave. Perhaps he was better at the corruption game than he’d expected because the dreaded shove never came. If anything, William seemed to encourage him with soft gasps and withheld groans. They didn’t speak that night, not in the tongue of common man. 

They were together until they heard the tell-tale morning cry of a nearby rooster after which William silently disentangled himself from the other body, dressed haphazardly and scurried down the hall like a rat before Mr. Carson woke up and the working day started. They never went all the way but Thomas had allowed William to explore to his heart’s content. It turned out the farmer had some talented fingers indeed and he’d been right, there was something amazingly arousing in having the calloused fingertips push inside him with a determination to do a good job which only the working class seemed to possess. 

In return Thomas showed William how a tongue could be put to better uses than yapping and the boy had to nearly smother his face with the pillow to stop from shouting. The idea of Mr. Carson rushing to see what the ruckus was and finding the two of them like that, with Thomas’ mouth around William’s stiff cock, filled the first footman with horror and hilarity. That would have certainly left a permanent stain on the honour of Downton Abbey…. 

They never mentioned what happed. William clearly felt odd about it since he’d taken to avoiding Thomas and the other decided to give him time and space. It wouldn’t do to rush things now when the finish line was within sight… He had no doubt the boy would eventually return to him. Thomas was certain Daisy couldn’t please the dolt as well as him. But William never came knocking at his door again and scurried away whenever Thomas approached and it was starting to piss him off. It had been nearly three weeks! 

Add insult to injury, he saw how William chased after the kitchen girl again, now that he felt more confident in his manly prowess. It made Thomas furious. Worse, it made him feel used and he hated the stupid pang of regret at having been abandoned… Not that he was! They were never together like that so he knew that logically William didn’t owe him anything. Still… The heart was a stupid thing and his was the emperor of stupidity.

So here they were then. William was back to being a sunny, smiling moron in pursuit of the doe eyed maid and Thomas was, as usual, a means to an end. Well there was an upside to all this. He hated William more than ever before and he was more determined to make him crash to the rocky bottom. A particularly unpleasant smile slowly stretched his lips as he thought of William’s pious, high and mighty attitude being crushed to dust. It would be his ultimate revenge. 

He scanned the perimeters one last time, making sure there was no chance of some nosy staff member seeing something they shouldn’t, before he walked over to the entrance of the stables. The moon was already high in the sky and the light cast off from William’s lantern was warm and inviting. William’s back was turned to him, his attention focused on Lady Sibyl’s mare. Thomas watched William’s hand as it patted the powerful neck gently and he could remember all too easily what those hands were capable of. 

‘Got promoted to stable hand, have you?’ William whipped his frame around so suddenly he nearly spooked the horse. 

‘Thomas? What the devil are you doing here? You nearly scared me to death.’ Thomas smirked and let himself inside. He didn’t miss William’s furtive glance to the stable doors. Unfortunately for him if he wanted to make a run for it then he would have to shove Thomas out of the way and the footman had no intention of moving. 

‘My apologies. I didn’t think I’d need to announce myself to a stable boy.’ 

‘I’m not a stable boy and you know it. I’m just helping Lady Sybil out since her mare wasn’t feeling well.’ 

‘And I suppose being the second footman to the house of Downton gives you the knowledge to deal with that?’

‘No, but coming from a farm life does. Look Thomas, I’m busy and I want to take care of this before I go to bed. Unless you have a reason to be here then let me be. I’m not in the mood for an argument tonight.’ Thomas’ hands balled into fists. He wanted to pummel the oblivious little shit into the ground. 

‘I didn’t come here to argue, if that’s what you call it.’ William chose to tactfully ignore the clear innuendo and he watched Thomas wearily. Only an idiot took his eyes off a snake which was poised to strike. 

‘Then why are you here?’ William’s tone was cold enough to freeze lakes. 

‘So that’s how it is then? You take what you want and when you’re bored you turn tail and run? How very manly of you.’ Thomas could add a chilly to his voice too.

‘There was never anything to run away from! What happened between us was a mistake, I see that now. It’s wrong, touching a man like that. I want nothing more to do with it and I’m going to spend the rest of my life begging God for forgiveness for my sins! All because of you Thomas!’ Thomas took an angry step towards William who stood a little straighter, ready to lash out should he be within reach. 

‘Me? You’re going to blame me for everything when it was you who came to my bed night after night-‘ 

‘Shut up!’ William grabbed Thomas’ arms in a vice grip, his teeth grinding in a clear warning. The other man smirked but didn’t fight, though the other’s nails were painfully digging into his flesh. 

‘Whatever’s the matter William? Did I say something untrue? Wasn’t it you who asked me to teach you? You looked to be very happy with the lessons, if your moans were anything to go by… Especially the last evening we were together and I had my mouth on your-‘ 

‘Stop! Just shut up! You pretended to be my friend and you twisted my mind to suit your perverted needs! I would have never done…. I’m not like you!’ Every word was like a slap and Thomas felt his nerves being set on edge but he kept a level head. 

‘Right, you’re worse than me. At least I’m man enough to admit what I am and accept it. You’ll just run away from yourself like the lily livered fool you are but let me tell you something. You’ll never get away from the face staring back at you in the mirror or worse, your dreams. I’ll always be in the darkest corner of your mind, waiting to make you moan.’ 

‘Fuck you Thomas! I’m warning you-!’ Thomas brought his face up close to Williams, close enough for his breath to ghost over the other’s lips. 

‘Or you’ll do what? Fuck me?’ He kissed William who immediately pulled his head away as if Thomas’ tongue was on fire, but the lust in his blue eyes betrayed him. 

Thomas only smiled when William shoved him roughly against a nearby barrel, throwing him against it with such force the footman nearly went headfirst over. As twisted as this was Thomas couldn’t be happier by how his plan came to fruition. Not only would William fuck a man, Thomas at that, but he would do it in such a violent and brutal manner that he would never again be able to claim the title of saint. He would never be able to touch Daisy, or any woman for that matter, without remembering the beast he really was inside. Thomas would have laughed if the wind hadn’t been knocked out of him. 

‘You asked for this Thomas! I warned you… I did.’ In the past, William had been kind and careful with Thomas. He’d been practicing to be with a woman after all but all that pretence was done away with and he all but ripped the clothes off the older footman’s back. With the grace of heaven he didn’t but Thomas knew it would take him hours to iron out the creases and make the garments presentable, by Mr. Carson’s standards. 

‘Keep telling yourself that…’ The night air was all too noticeable on his exposed backside and he felt William kick his legs apart. He had to steady himself by gripping the rim of the barrel as feral hands grabbed his hips and pulled him against the other body. 

‘You’ll probably enjoy this. You wanted this all along.’ Thomas could tell William was actively rewriting history even as it was happening so he’d be able to live with himself in the future. How redundant. 

‘You’ll enjoy it more than me but I’ll have the last laugh.’ Even now William couldn’t bring himself to be a complete monster, which was saying something considering he was forcing himself on Thomas. He had enough restraint to prepare Thomas, even if it was in a rough manner. They had no lubricant except spit and dry fingers were never a pleasant sensation but Thomas bore it all in relative silence, only the occasional stifled groan or whimper escaping him. The devil knew he’d had worse encounters in the past…

Once Thomas accommodated three fingers, William deemed him ready and he hastily pulled himself out of his trousers. Thomas glanced back over his shoulder, happy to see how hard the other footman’s member was. The body didn’t lie and William’s was dripping for him. Thomas licked his lips and mentally readied himself, feeling his heart beat faster as the length rubbed against his crack, the beads of precum making it slippery and wet. 

‘Get on with it, unless you want darling Daisy to catch you fucking anoth- ‘ His taunt finished in a guttural gasp as William thrust himself to the hilt inside Thomas without any warning. It was painful and tears stung at the first footman’s eyes but he forced himself to relax. It was more bearable if he relaxed, that much he learned early. Hell, he was even going to enjoy it which only showed how depraved and wretched his existence really was…

‘Don’t say her name!’ William’s fingernails left red welts against Thomas’ hipbones as he hissed his demand. He didn’t move for a moment, letting Thomas adjust to the sudden intrusion, not out of the kindness of his heart but because it would be awkward to explain why the man couldn’t stand upright the next day. The last thing he needed was for Carson to ask questions… He was a terrible liar so if it came down to it he would give himself away in a heartbeat. He certainly didn’t have the years of practice Thomas had. He supposed being a deceiver had its advantages sometimes…

‘Would you rather I called out your name then? William? Yes, William… Right there William. Screw me faster William!’ The bottom of the barrel scraped harshly against the floor as William rammed into Thomas’ willing body mercilessly. He loathed to admit it but yes, he did enjoy hearing his name being called out from the other man’s plump lips even if they were meant as a taunt. 

‘Damn Thomas! I’m at my limit!’ Thomas felt splinters break the skin of his fingers since he was grasping the wood so hard and whatever air was left inside his lungs was forced out with William’s final thrust. He felt the other’s seed fill him and then run down his thigh as he caught his breath while William began dressing in a daze. Thomas’ needs were left unattended but that was no big matter. He’d see to that himself later, probably while fantasising about William’s shattered innocence. 

‘You’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you?...’ William’s voice was barely a whisper, small and frightened. The reality of what he’d just done and how he’d done it was beginning to sink in and reality was vicious. Thomas straightened up, his shaking hands still holding onto the barrel for support. It was most likely the only thing keeping him steady. 

‘No. I’d risk my own hide if this was to come out and you’re not worth it. No, I’ll be perfectly satisfied in the knowledge that you’ll hate yourself for the rest of your pathetic life. With a little luck your kitchen wench will hate you too.’ His voice sounded menacing but somehow it lacked the triumphant edge. He’d won, hadn’t he? So then why did he feel like the loser? What had he really accomplished except prove that his heart was most assuredly dead in his chest? Was he even human anymore?... 

‘You’re vile and cruel and I hope you’re happy with what you’ve done. Maybe you’re right and I’ll never be able to forgive myself but at least I’ll be normal and will have a normal life with a wife and kids and happiness. You’ll always be a despised pervert with no chance at happiness.’ 

Thomas didn’t say anything and refused to turn as he listened to the departing footsteps. A tear rolled down his cheek which he wiped at furiously. In the end it looked like the only thing he’d really achieved in all this was sink a little lower, something he’d thought impossible by now. William was right. He was normal but Thomas would always be damned and hated. He buttoned up his trousers with shaky fingers. 

Maybe this was how a snake felt all its life. What fault had it for being born a slimy, slippery thing? Ostracised by all just for existing… Yes, he reckoned he understood those feelings perfectly but just like a snake he would survive no matter who he had to poison or whose neck he had to wring. He fixed his coat with that air of entitled superiority which he’d fashioned into a shield against the world. Oh yes, he would scrape by just fine.


End file.
